Comedian FRANK CALIENDO was profiled on HBO's "Real Sports" last night, with HBO's Bernard Goldberg noting Caliendo "takes everything that we take so seriously about sports and mocks it." Goldberg said "nothing and no one in the world of sports is sacred." Caliendo: "Doing comedy, especially for sports, to a lot of people is still very outside the box to a lot of people." Goldberg said there are “purists who think that sports and comedy don't mix, that somehow jokes distract us from the purity of the games.” Goldberg: “But there are plenty of other things that distract us from the game, so maybe a court jester is just what we need right about now" ("Real Sports," HBO, 9/23).
HOUSING MARKET: VENUS and SERENA WILLIAMS will soon "move into their own custom-built mansions in guard-gated developments about five miles apart” in northern Palm Beach County, Fla. The sisters have lived together for the last 15 years in an 8,500-square-foot mansion in Palm Beach Gardens. Venus paid $825,000 for a lot at the Old Palm Golf Club in the city, where she is “in the process of building a contemporary residence.” Serena has paid $4.125M for a lot in the Bear’s Club neighborhood in nearby Jupiter (VARIETY.com, 9/23)....A home in Villanova, Pa., owned by former 76ers President PAT CROCE “will go to auction” on Oct. 25. The 10,625-square-foot home was most recently listed for $6.25M (LATIMES.com, 9/23).
NAMES: The Triple-A Int'l League named Charlotte Knights COO DAN RAJKOWSKI Exec of the Year (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/23)....Bulls G DERRICK ROSE is donating $1M to Chicago-based non-profit After School Matters, which provides innovative, out-of-school programs for teenagers (Bulls)....Golfer DUSTIN JOHNSON and fiancée PAULINA GRETZKY “are expecting their first child together.” They were engaged in August ’13 and have dated since ’11 (USATODAY.com, 9/23)....Pacers C ROY HIBBERT on Saturday “married his longtime girlfriend" VALERIE COOK (INDYSTAR.com, 9/23).
IN MEMORY: UConn AD Emeritus JOHN TONER yesterday died at the age of 91. Toner, who is credited with building the school “into a basketball powerhouse and hiring its two best-known coaches” in GENO AURIEMMA and JIM CALHOUN, served as AD from ’69-87 (AP, 9/23).
